Pages

Monday, April 6, 2015

Thrifty Thinking: How to Use Old Blue Jeans to Re-Cover Patio Chair Cushions

By
Merri Cvetan

Spring
is right around the corner, bringing warm weather and picnics on the porch. At
my house, our porch becomes the summer family room. We eat, relax and entertain
outdoors until the temperatures get cold again. I’ve decorated it with vintage
and new wicker chairs and tables. But before the season officially starts, I
need to recover a few cushions.

For my
first project, I chose one of the old chairs. It’s been repaired a few times,
but it’s solid and very comfortable.The
original seat is a wood framed spring cushion.

I
removed the old fabric by pulling the staples out with needle nose pliers. The
original burlap and foam were in great condition. Even the top layer of
fiberfill (that I replaced several years ago) was still pristine.

Instead
of buying new fabric, I decided to repurpose old denim. If you don’t have jeans
in your closet to cut up, you’ll find hundreds to choose from at Goodwill. I chose this pair because of the buckle
detail.

I
needed one pair of pants, because the spring style seat is only covered on the
top and sides. If your chairs have a reversible cushion, you will need at least
two pair of jeans.

To get
as much fabric as possible, I cut the legs off at the crotch and then cut open
the inside seam.

One leg
wasn’t wide enough to cover the seat top and sides, so I sewed both legs
together to create a wider piece of fabric.

Since
these pant legs were wider at the bottom, I lined up the outside seams (right
sides together) then drew a straight line.

Sew on
the line, cut off the excess fabric and press the seam open.

I
wanted to take advantage of all the jean details, so I cut off the back pockets
and stitched them to the front of the fabric.

I did
the same with the cute buckle, sewing it to the front so no one has to sit on
it!

Center
the fabric on the seat and attach it using an electric staple gun. Be sure to
use 1/2 in. staples.Fold
the corners in like you are wrapping a gift box. You’ll have to cut out the
excess fabric. With a little maneuvering you can get a nice neat corner.

Continue
to staple the fabric to the frame.

This
chair turned out so cute, I think I’ll recover the rest of them!

Interior designer Merri Cvetan writes about her design
and DIY projects for Home Depot. Merri started
her design career after she bought a fixer-upper 1890s
farmhouse. Merri's unique patio chair cushions are just one of many
outdoor projects she's crafted recently. To see a
wide variety of patio furniture, including chairs and cushions,
you can visit Home Depot's website.